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Establishment of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
September 23, 1932 - Abd-al-Aziz Bin-Abd-al-Rahman Bin-Faysal Bin-Turki Bin-Abdallah Bin-Muhammad Al Saud , also known as Ibn Saud, establishes the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 30 years after Saud's family returned to the Arabian Peninsula from exile. -
Found Oil
1938 - A subsidiary of Standard Oil, California-Arabian Standard Oil, discovers oil in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. -
Staying Neutral
1939 - Saudi Arabia declares its neutrality at the outbreak of World War II and maintains it for most of the war. -
Name Change
1944 - California-Arabian Standard Oil changes its name to Arabian American Oil (Aramco). -
Allies
February 14, 1945 - Ibn Saud meets with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt aboard the U.S.S. Quincy in the Suez Canal. This meeting establishes "the marriage of convenience" between the two countries which continues to this day. -
Period: to
War
February-March 1945 - Saudi Arabia declares war on Germany and Japan. -
Joining up
March 22, 1945 - Joins the Arab League as a founding member. -
The UN
October 24, 1945 - Joins the United Nations as a founding member. -
Arab-Israeli War
1948 - Sends several hundred troops to fight in the first Arab-Israeli War after Israel declares its independence. -
Oil Based Economy
1950 - Aramco begins sharing 50% of its income with the government of Saudi Arabia. -
Death
1953 - Ibn Saud dies and is succeeded by his son Saud Ibn Abd al-Aziz.. -
OPEC
September 14, 1960 - OPEC is formed in Baghdad, Iraq, by founding members Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. -
War
1962 - Yemen's civil war pits Saudi Arabia and Egypt against each other for five years. -
Deopsal
November 1964 - King Saud is deposed and replaced by his half-brother Faisal. -
Oil Embargo
October 1973 - The United States supports Israel during the Yom Kippur war with Egypt, Syria and other Mideast countries. In response, Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC member countries impose an oil embargo against the U.S. -
Murder
March 25, 1975 - King Faisal is murdered by a nephew. Half-brother Khalid succeeds him. -
Peace treaty
March 26, 1979 - Saudi Arabia severs diplomatic relations with Egypt after President Anwar Sadat signs the Camp David peace treaty with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. -
Support
December 1979 - The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, beginning a 10-year occupation. Saudi Arabia and the United States support the Afghan resistance known as the Mujahideen. Many young Saudis, including Osama bin Laden, spend time in Afghanistan and join the jihadist movement. -
Support for Saddam
September 1980 - The eight-year-long war between Iran and Iraq begins. Saudi Arabia supports Iraq and the government of Saddam Hussein against the predominantly Shiite country of Iran, with billions in loans. The war ends in a stalemate in 1988. -
Taking control
1980 - The Saudi government gains full control of Aramco. -
GCC
May 1981 - Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates establish the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). -
Death
June 13, 1982 - King Khalid dies and is succeeded by his half-brother Crown Prince Fahd. -
Peace
November 1987 - Diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Egypt are restored. -
Angry!
August 2, 1990 - Iraq invades neighboring Kuwait. King Fahd, fearing an Iraqi invasion, allows a multi-national force of more than 500,000 troops to set up military bases in the country. This angers many Saudis, who consider the foreign troops infidels. -
Period: to
Liberate Kuwait
February 27-March 1991 - U.S. and coalition forces defeat Iraq and liberate Kuwait. -
Bomb
November 13, 1995 - A bomb destroys a building used by the U.S. military in Riyadh, killing five U.S service members. -
Attack in Dhahran
June 25, 1996 - A group of terrorists attack the U.S. Air Force housing complex known as Khobar Towers in Dhahran. Nineteen service members are killed. -
More Bombs
August 7, 1998 - Almost simultaneously, bombs explode at U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 224 people. More than 5,000 are wounded. Twelve of those killed in Kenya are U.S. citizens. The bombings, orchestrated by al Qaeda, take place eight years to the day after U.S. troops were ordered to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. -
Indictment
June 22, 2001 - Thirteen Saudis and one Lebanese man are indicted by U.S. authorities in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing. -
Hijack
September 11, 2001 - The deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history takes place when 19 men hijack four fuel-loaded commercial airlines bound for west coast destinations. The plot is orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. A total of 2,977 people are killed in New York, Washington, DC and outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers are from Saudi Arabia. -
Opposition
2003 - Saudi Arabia opposes the U.S. invasion of Iraq. -
Withdrawl
April 29, 2003 - U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announces the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Saudi Arabia. -
Car Bombs
May 12, 2003 - Assailants set off car bombs at three housing compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Approximately 23 people are killed, including nine Americans. -
More Car Bombs
November 8, 2003 - Seventeen people of various Arab nationalities are killed in a suicide car bombing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -
Death
August 1, 2005 - King Fahd dies and is succeeded by his half brother, Crown Prince Abdullah. -
Protests
2011 - The Arab Spring leads to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Moammar Gadhafi in Libya. Shiite protests in Eastern Saudi Arabia are suppressed. -
Death
January 23, 2015 - King Abdullah dies and is succeeded by his half-brother, Crown Prince Salman. -
Shift
April 29, 2015 - King Salman, in a surprise power-shifting move, appoints Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince, replacing his half-brother Prince Muqrin as his successor, and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman, his son, as deputy crown prince. Bin Nayef has closer ties to the U.S. than most major Saudi members of royalty, according to reports.